--- title: "BlacKkKlansman" year: 2018 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/blackkklansman" fi1m_id: "blackkklansman" imdb_id: "tt7349662" tmdb_id: 487558 wikidata_id: "Q43370948" fi1m_score: 78 critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 16 published: "2026-09-16" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:37.671707+00:00" region: "MY" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # BlacKkKlansman (2018) Directed by Spike Lee · 2h 16m · Crime, Comedy, Drama, History ## Identity BlacKkKlansman - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/blackkklansman - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** blackkklansman - **IMDb ID:** tt7349662 - **TMDB ID:** 487558 - **Wikidata ID:** Q43370948 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7349662/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/487558, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q43370948 **Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 80 from 16 reviews *In a sentence:* The Ku Klux Klan is rather easily impressed by a convincing telephone manner > Spike Lee’s undercover comedy is funny, angry and carried by sharply judged performances. Its broadest jokes make the danger less convincing, but the central partnership and persuasive period setting are worth the evening. ## Synopsis In 1970s Colorado Springs, Black police officer Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) sets out to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. Ron can pass himself off as a white racist over the telephone; appearing in person is another matter. Fellow officer Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) takes on the meetings, with both men using Ron’s identity. An undercover assignment also brings Ron into contact with student activist Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier), whose distrust of the police complicates his interest in her. The two officers must keep their shared impersonation working without letting the Klan discover who is actually speaking. ## Review *BlacKkKlansman* is a good, unruly crime comedy whose jokes are sharper than its suspense. Spike Lee takes the story of a Black policeman infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan and enjoys every opportunity to make the racists look foolish. He also wants their hatred to remain frightening, which is harder when they have just been so thoroughly embarrassed. For much of the film he manages both, helped by actors who find distinct people inside a premise that could easily have produced nothing but comic types. John David Washington plays Ron Stallworth with a relaxed confidence that makes the initial deception feel possible without making it sensible. Adam Driver gives Flip Zimmerman a more watchful manner, fitting for the man who must attend the meetings while his colleague works the telephone. Their different ways of handling the risk provide much of the pleasure, and neither performance needs to compete for attention. We laughed at Ron’s telephone performance because the eagerness of the men listening makes his outrageous impersonation seem almost unnecessary. Topher Grace is particularly good as David Duke, giving the racism a smooth, conversational delivery. His self-assurance is comic, but the lack of obvious strain in his manner makes the hatred harder to dismiss as the preserve of a few shouting fools. The performance is a useful corrective to the broader Klan caricatures around him. Those characters offer easier laughs, and their stupidity sometimes makes the undercover work seem less dangerous than the film needs it to be. Chayse Irvin’s cinematography gives the Seventies setting a warmth that suits the comedy. Curt Beech’s production design keeps the police offices and Klan meeting rooms workaday, a useful decision when the temptation might have been to surround the villains with signs of villainy. Marci Rodgers’s costumes supply much of the swagger, and the actors look comfortable wearing them. The period detail is persuasive without making every scene an opportunity to point out the decade. Terence Blanchard’s score brings a persistent sadness to the investigation, keeping the music from simply congratulating Ron on his nerve. It is a strong contribution, particularly when the comedy has made the operation look too easy. Barry Alexander Brown’s editing keeps the shared identity clear, but the passages between the main comic encounters can drift. At 136 minutes, the film has room for romance and political disagreement, though it sometimes repeats a point after the actors have already made it clear. Laura Harrier gives Patrice Dumas a firmness that prevents her from becoming merely an admiring audience for Ron. Their disagreement about policing should be one of the film’s most difficult questions, and it is not always given enough space. The familiar undercover-film pleasures encourage us to cheer for a successful operation, while the treatment of racism inside the police demands a less comfortable response. The script recognises the problem, but too often lets Ron’s individual appeal stand in for an answer. Expect a looser evening than the undercover premise suggests. The actors make the detours worthwhile, particularly when a conversation reveals how readily these men accept anyone who repeats their prejudices. Watch it for that sharpness, with some patience for the stretches when the investigation stops moving. *Fi1m score 78, published 16 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics welcome BlacKkKlansman as an energetic, funny and politically forceful film, praising Spike Lee’s handling of comedy alongside the threat of racist violence. The reviews repeatedly credit him with making the connections between 1970s America and the present feel urgent. Praise also clusters around the performances, particularly John David Washington’s, and the mixture of undercover thriller, broad satire and romance. For most, the entertainment strengthens the political message rather than softening it. The disagreement concerns how much depth and tension that approach allows. The Playlist finds the pacing too relaxed and the drama less involving than it should be, while /Film considers the contemporary parallels heavy-handed. These reservations sit within a broadly positive consensus, but Sight and Sound offers a sharper dissent: it sees a clumsy parable that favours jokes over examining racial hatred. The central divide is over whether Lee’s directness clarifies his subject or leaves too much unexplored. ## Straight answers **Is BlacKkKlansman worth watching?** *BlacKkKlansman* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys a crime comedy with more anger than suspense, and we scored it 78. John David Washington and Adam Driver make the shared undercover identity a pleasure, and Topher Grace's smooth David Duke keeps the racism unsettling. The broader Klan jokes and a loose 136 minutes cost it some tension. **How long is BlacKkKlansman, and what is it rated?** *BlacKkKlansman* runs 2h 16m. It is a crime and comedy film. **Where can I watch BlacKkKlansman in Malaysia?** *BlacKkKlansman* is not on any streaming or rental service in Malaysia at the moment. It is available in 50 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is BlacKkKlansman, and is it suitable for children?** *BlacKkKlansman* is a 15 certificate in the UK and R-rated in the US, and it is not suitable for children. The film's subject is the Ku Klux Klan, so racist language and the constant threat to two undercover officers run throughout, even when the racists are being played for laughs. Older teenagers who can handle that material should be fine. **How does BlacKkKlansman compare to In the Heat of the Night?** *BlacKkKlansman* is the funnier film and [*In the Heat of the Night*](https://film.one/film/in-the-heat-of-the-night) is the tighter one. Spike Lee makes the Klan look foolish and keeps the mood loose, while Norman Jewison lets Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger carry a thin mystery with a tense partnership. Choose Lee for comedy and period swagger, Jewison for a leaner drama. **What should I watch after BlacKkKlansman?** After *BlacKkKlansman*, try [*In the Heat of the Night*](https://film.one/film/in-the-heat-of-the-night) (1967, Fi1m 85): A Black detective’s uneasy police partnership gives the murder investigation its force. Then [*La Haine*](https://film.one/film/la-haine) (1995, Fi1m 90): Young men living with police hostility get the attention the officers usually claim; and [*Memories of Murder*](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder) (2003, Fi1m 91): Police incompetence becomes horribly consequential in this Korean mixture of comedy and dread. ### Reviews we read (27) - **Little White Lies**, Adam Woodward (85/100, inferred): Spike Lee’s most entertaining and thought-provoking film in years, blending humour, romance and social commentary on racism while paying homage to blaxploitation cinema. [Read](https://lwlies.com/festivals/blackkklansman-cannes-review) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (85/100, inferred): Lee has made a movie of bold and brilliant paradox that is politically passionate yet often bouncy and catchy. It offers a clear view of possible change while revealing the racist rot at the core of American society. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/blackkklansman-reviewed-spike-lees-vision-of-resistance-to-white-supremacy) - **Los Angeles Times** (80/100, inferred): The film is one of Lee's best, with the director at his peak using a decades-old story to comment unnervingly on today's world. It balances brutal satiric comedy, social commentary and romance while remaining relevant. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-blackkkklansman-review-20180806-story.html) - **Radio Times**, Emma Simmonds (★★★★): Spike Lee is in raging and righteous form, delivering a playful yet political collage-like film that struts with ambition and gusto while making hard-to-deny connections between past and present. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/blackkklansman-review-spike-lee-struts-his-film-making-stuff-with-ambition-and-gusto/) - **The Telegraph**, Tim Robey (4/5): Spike Lee is back on thunderclap form with this true-life account of a black cop in Seventies Colorado Springs who managed to get himself enrolled in the KKK. A heady hybrid of comedy, polemic and period crime drama with rollicking drive and focus. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/blackkklansman-review-spike-lees-kkk-comedy-rollicking-hit/) - **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): Spike Lee is back to his energised, fiery best with a high-energy mix of blaxploitation spoof, undercover thriller and savage political bite that connects the 1970s story to modern America. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/blackkklansman) - **Screen Daily** (75/100, inferred): A movie of raw anger and sadness that uses its true story to shine a light on ongoing racism, sobering and darkly funny with strong performances but uneven in places. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/blackkklansman-cannes-review/5129334.article) - **Empire**, Helen O'Hara: The critic calls it vital and timely work up there with Spike Lee's best, a hilarious romp and devastating indictment that blends knockabout adventure with serious political polemic. She singles out the strong performances, especially John David Washington's breakout turn and the nuance given to the lead characters' internal conflicts. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/blackkklansman-review/) - **Evening Standard**, Matthew Norman: The critic praises the refined rage and riotous wit that make it Spike Lee's most enjoyable film for years, a stiletto rather than a sledgehammer. He singles out the superb performances, particularly John David Washington and Topher Grace as David Duke, along with the laugh lines and sight gags. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/blackkklansman-review-a-refined-rage-that-is-all-the-more-lethal-for-it-a3919246.html) - **Film Comment**, Teo Bugbee: The film is a deeply entertaining and conventionally appealing movie that loses none of Lee’s signature political punch. It follows the beats of a traditional cop movie while adding a coda that reframes the story through a contemporary lens. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/it-happened-here/) - **Sight and Sound**, Kelli Weston: The film is a sweeping, clumsy parable more concerned with landing jokes than interrogating racial hatred, ultimately failing to get to the heart of racist America despite its contemporary parallels. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/blackkklansman-review-spike-lee-fails-get-heart-racist-america) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: Spike Lee’s Cannes grand prix winner is the director’s best work since his Oscar-nominated 1997 documentary 4 Little Girls. It combines stylistic slickness with controversial potential in a stranger-than-fiction tale of an African American cop infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/aug/26/blackkklansman-review-spike-lee-blistering-return-to-form) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy: An incredible true-life story told in a boisterously exaggerated way, BlacKkKlansman is Spike Lee’s most flat-out entertaining and commercial film in quite a long time. Lee draws direct lines from 1970s institutional racism to recent events like Charlottesville while entertaining with humor and cultural references. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/blackkklansman-review-1111869/) - **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (Critic's Pick): The critic calls it one of Spike Lee's greatest films, a furious, funny and brilliant confrontation with American racism and historical truth. It singles out the director's deft tonal shifts and dazzling craft for praise. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/movies/blackkklansman-review-spike-lee.html) - **The Times**, Ed Potton (★★★★☆): This is a movie whose often broad comedy smuggles dead-serious contraband, a Trojan horse with a Seventies afro. You’ll laugh and shudder, all at once. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/society/article/film-review-blackkklansman-sbz0pdtt8) - **Total Film**: The critic calls it one of Spike Lee's most angry, focused, politically charged films and his angriest and best movie for years, an accessible drama that is also a genre piece. She singles out the farcical situation handled with broad satire and the real chemistry between leads. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/cannes-2008-blackkklansman-is-spike-lees-angriest-and-best-movie-for-years/) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge (Critic's Pick): This is a major comeback for Spike Lee and one of his best films in a dozen years, turning an incredible true story into compelling black empowerment and commentary on cinema history. It feels like Lee's call to action against racism. [Read](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/spike-lee-blackkklansman-review-black-klansman-1202809643/) - **Vulture**: Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman is an entertaining and effective piece of melodrama that savages The Birth of a Nation and connects 1970s events to the present. It features a stupendous score and painfully funny moments amid its graphic melodrama. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2018/08/spike-lee-blackkklansman-movie-review.html) - **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it Spike Lee's most urgent, entertaining and pertinent film since Inside Man, a sharp and powerful return to form. He singles out the true story of a black cop infiltrating the KKK and the timely parallels to the present day. [Read](https://deadline.com/video/blackkklansman-review-spike-lees-cannes-winner-is-his-best-in-years-sharp-powerful-and-timely/) - **Collider**, Gregory Ellwood (B+): The critic finds Lee balances humor with serious racial themes effectively, calling it arguably his best film since Inside Man. The review singles out the strong performances and timely social commentary for praise. [Read](https://collider.com/blackkklansman-review/) - **Den of Geek**, David Crow (4/5): Spike Lee’s film is a powerful, messy meditation on hate in America and the role of cinema in that oppression. It is angry and disparate but electrifying in its best scenes, with a final montage that sobers the audience. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/blackkklansman-review-spike-lee/) - **Digital Spy**, Hugh Armitage (80/100, inferred): Lee’s latest is a rollercoaster that is laugh-out-loud when it isn’t shocking you into stunned silence, a powerful response to a dark moment in history and a reminder that racism is alive and well. It is also a damn fine and funny piece of entertainment. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a863908/blackkklansman-review-spike-lee/) - **The Ringer**, Justin Charity (80/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a light yet powerful comedy that robs the Klan of mystique while highlighting real horrors through farce. The review singles out the goofy tone and timely conclusion tying into modern events for praise. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2018/08/08/movies/black-klansman-spike-lee-review-unite-the-right-charlottesville) - **The Wrap**, Steve Pond (80/100, inferred): The critic praises it as quintessential Spike Lee and his most vital and impassioned film in decades, more accomplished than many recent works. He highlights the crazy true story fueled by righteous anger and leavened by humor, with strong performances especially from John David Washington. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/blackkklansman-cannes-review-spike-lee-looks-back-forward-anger/) - **The Playlist**, Jessica Kiang (B): The critic praises its witty comedy and exploration of shared oppression but finds it messy and low-energy at times, with relaxed pacing that prevents it from punching as hard as expected from Lee, resulting in a less dramatically immersive experience. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/spike-lee-blackkklansman-cannes-review-20180516/) - **HeyUGuys**, Jo-Ann Titmarsh (75/100, inferred): The critic calls it an entertaining romp based on the true story of a Black undercover detective infiltrating the KKK, with strong period look, music, and a powerful closing message linking historical and contemporary racism. It notes the film could have built more tension instead of relying on comedy and frivolity. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/blackkklansman-review/) - **/Film**, Joi Childs (7/10): The critic finds the film spirited and enjoyable but clumsy and heavy-handed in its connections between 1970s racism and the present day, with forced messaging that sacrifices depth in the historical story for contemporary relevance. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/560116/blackkklansman-review/) ## Details - **Director:** Spike Lee - **Director:** Spike Lee - **Writer:** David Rabinowitz, Spike Lee, Kevin Willmott, Charlie Wachtel - **Cinematography:** Chayse Irvin - **Editor:** Barry Alexander Brown - **Music:** Terence Blanchard - **Production design:** Curt Beech - **Costume design:** Marci Rodgers - **Producer:** Jordan Peele, Jason Blum, Sean McKittrick - **Cast:** John David Washington as Ron Stallworth; Adam Driver as Flip Zimmerman; Topher Grace as David Duke; Laura Harrier as Patrice Dumas; Alec Baldwin as Dr. Kennebrew Beauregard; Jasper Pääkkönen as Felix Kendrickson; Corey Hawkins as Kwame Ture; Paul Walter Hauser as Ivanhoe - **Runtime:** 2h 16m - **First release (France):** 14 May 2018 - **Genres:** Crime, Comedy, Drama, History - **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2018); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 2018); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Nominee, 2018) - **Budget:** $15 million - **Box office:** $93 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tgMuagdEhc ## Where to watch in Malaysia Not streaming, renting or buying in Malaysia at the last check. Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2019: Best Picture (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Sapphire* (1959): A murder inquiry exposes racial prejudice beneath respectable British manners. - *In the Heat of the Night* (1967), Fi1m 85: A Black detective’s uneasy police partnership gives the murder investigation its force. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/in-the-heat-of-the-night.md) - *La Haine* (1995), Fi1m 90: Young men living with police hostility get the attention the officers usually claim. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/la-haine.md) - *Memories of Murder* (2003), Fi1m 91: Police incompetence becomes horribly consequential in this Korean mixture of comedy and dread. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder.md) - *Sorry to Bother You* (2018), Fi1m 81: Workplace ambition and racial impersonation become stranger, harsher and less reassuring. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/sorry-to-bother-you.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/blackkklansman